Chase Caldarera walks across the plate and into a celebratory crowd of Bulldogs after hitting his second homerun of the season to give Lutcher a 5-1 lead in the third inning. (John Harper, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune.)

Sulphur — The Lutcher baseball team is trying to stick to a routine this week.

Forgive the Bulldogs, though, if it becomes a little difficult.

They were five outs away from the state tournament last season, but a 7-4 fifth-inning lead against Holy Cross turned into an 11-9 loss.

“We needed five outs, and we didn’t finish it up,” said Coach Davey Clement, who is taking his first team to the Class 4A semifinals in his eighth season. “Throughout the summer, we said it. Every day before practice we say it. We continue to want to finish, and we’re not finished yet.”

The Bulldogs, who leave Friday for their semifinal game against No. 6 Tioga, are one of many teams eager to advance to the LHSAA state tournament. No. 2 E.D. White will see rival Brusly, a No. 11 seed, in the Class 3A semifinals at Sulphur's McMurry Park. The Cardinals, who haven’t allowed a run in the postseason, topped their District 7-3A foe twice in the regular season. Senior twins Taylor and Cullen Prejean lead Brusly.

Parkview Baptist wants to win what it couldn’t two seasons ago — a state championship. Parkview Baptist fell to Livonia in the finals.

“They’re hungry and playing with a chip on their shoulder,” said Parkview Baptist Coach Darron Mitchell, whose team advances to the state tournament for the second time in three seasons. “They’ve stayed steady and believed in themselves. They never thought they couldn’t get here.”

For top-seeded Family Christian, it’s eyeing back-to-back Class C championships after winning the program’s first title last season.

Like Lutcher and Parkview Baptist, Family Christian was tested with a “ridiculously hard” schedule. The Flames, who are led by right-handed pitcher Ben Chauvin (LSU-Eunice) and left-handed pitcher Melvin Fraizer, will meet District 6-C Maurepas in Friday’s semifinals. They also recorded wins against E.D. White and Brusly this season.

“We really only graduated one starter, so we expected to be back (in Sulphur),” Family Christian Coach Rick Smith said. “We’ve all sent each other some congratulation texts. It’s cool that we’re all in Sulphur. Our guys want to go root for E.D. White. We have a real respect for them.”

2013 Baseball Playoff Brackets

No. 1 St. Thomas More meets No. 4 Teurlings Catholic — the defending Class 4A champion — in a must-see game at 7 p.m. Friday. No. 1 North DeSoto begins the defense of its Class 3A state title against Parkview Baptist at 10 a.m. Friday.

Lutcher is led by pitchers Jared Porche (LSU) and Corey Merrill (Tulane). Merrill has struggled with an elbow injury since March 23, but he’s stayed in the lineup at shortstop.

“It’s up for grabs who we throw Friday,” Clement said. “We know every time Jared gets on the mound we have a really good chance of winning. We have a talented senior class.”

The state experience is new to some teams and old hat for others, but one thing is clear — fans will see exciting baseball.

“It’s going to be fun watching these kids in an atmosphere they haven’t experienced yet,” Mitchell said. “We play in front of 50 fans a game. Now, it’s going to be 1,000. I just enjoy watching kids try to succeed in high-pressure situations.”